Susannah McFarlane (text), Dyani Stagg (illus.) Lights Out (EJ Spy School #8), Scholastic Australia, 1 June 2015, 48 pp, $7.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781921931994
Emma Jacks is Agent EJ10. She’s secretly training at the SHINE spy school.
In Lights Out Emma needs to make her way through a maze as part of her night spy training… one problem … she’s scared of the dark.
On this mission there are riddles, clues, gadgets and cute baby possums. Once again Emma saves the world from the evil plans of enemy agents- SHADOW.
Susannah McFarlane has written a terrific story with unexpected twists and a strong female main character. In fact all the characters in this book are female.
Dyani Stagg’s black and white illustrations are scattered through the pages and compliment the story perfectly.
I am surprised to note that Dyani Stagg is not acknowledged on the cover as the illustrator as is usual practise. I’m not sure why that would be.
Lights Out is the 8th book in the EJ Spy School series. It has 4 chapters, large font, carefully chosen vocabulary and is recommended for kids aged 5-7 years old.
Lights Out is available as an eBook and is supported by a terrific website that includes games and information about the books, the author and illustrator.
EJ Spy School series leads beautifully into the EJ 12 Girl Hero series aimed at older kids aged 6-12 years.
Reviewed by Wendy Fitzgerald